Former Wisconsin Badgers standout defensive lineman Matt Henningsen faced some tough news over the weekend, as testing revealed he suffered an Achilles tear after being carted off the field during Friday’s training camp practice.
It’s a brutal blow for Henningsen, 27, who suffered a torn Achilles last offseason as well during a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers in August. Exactly one year later, he tore the Achilles in his other foot, setting him back for another season. The Broncos placed
him on Injured Reserve this weekend.
Henningsen was a sixth-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he played in all 17 games during the first two years of his career, seeing action on both special teams and defense. In those two campaigns, he racked up 40 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Henningsen spent the 2024 season with the Broncos, but was on the practice squad. He had signed a one-year deal to return to Denver for 2025, and was in line to compete for a rotational role for his first Achilles injury. Now, after he was reportedly having a strong training camp, he’ll miss another season at 27 years old.
At Wisconsin, Henningsen played in 42 games over his four-year career, racking up 91 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 8.0 sacks, while earning third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021 prior to being drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The former sixth-round pick was seen as a potential option for a 53-man roster spot this year as the seventh defensive lineman on the team behind Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones, Tyler Onyedim, and Jordan Jackson as the others projected to make the roster.
Absolutely devastating for Henningsen.
